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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Asian-Style Chicken and Water Chestnut Rissoles

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Dinner tonight was based on a family meal we had in Thailand. While it hints of the Orient, it is a better example of fusion rather than Asian cooking. My family, young and old, enjoyed the rissoles which I served over a gingered noodle salad. Many will question why I used the food processor to chop the chicken when it can be purchased already ground. It has to do with the texture of the finished patties. Rissoles made from ground chicken offer little resistance to the tooth. Texture can be controlled when you chop your own meat. This recipe was designed to use ingredients that can be found in any large grocery chain. So, you'll find that the heat in the patties comes from jalapeno peppers rather than bird chilies, and that water chestnuts rather than Daikon radish provide the surprising crispness. This is a wonderfully inexpensive meal to feed a gang. If you have time, or are into spearing food, the patties can be formed into small meatballs and threaded onto skewers. I prefer not to do that and, instead, make small patties and simply place them on top of the salad. I have ,in my long life, seen too many sword fights that result from the over-active imaginations of the very young who have bamboo skewers at their disposal. The patties, which are pan-fried, have wonderful color. I cheat to get that. I fry them in a mixture of ghee and canola oil, which allows me to cook the patties at a higher temperature for better color. I have a friend who lightly dusts the patties with an instant-blending flour to get the same affect. You'll notice that no binder is used in this recipe. The patties will hold together without one, but they'll be easier to form if you keep your hands wet as you shape them. Turn these only once. If the bottom side is golden brown the patties can be safely flipped without falling apart. If you have a food processor, these are simple to make and can be in the pan in less than 15 minutes. To be honest, I wouldn't bother with this recipe if I had to do the chopping by hand. I've become spoiled. Here's the recipe for those of you who are tempted to give these a try. I know you'll like them. I'll feature the salad tomorrow.

Directions:1) Working in 2 batches, pulse chicken cubes in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer chicken to a large bowl. Add water chestnuts, scallions and jalapeno to bowl of processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add to chicken along with cilantro and salt. Stir together, using your hands, until just combined.2) Use a 1/4-cup measure or ice cream scoop to form 12 patties. Transfer patties to a baking sheet.3) Heat oil and butter or ghee in a large skillet over medium heat until it is hot. Working in batches, add patties to skillet and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Yield: 6 servings.

84 comments
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Mary: If I had to choose one cuisine for the rest of my life, it would be Thai. It satisfies every taste bud!! I've become close friends with the owners/chefs of our nearby Thai restaurant and have enjoyed so many wonderful dishes, many of them not on the menu. Thanks for sharing what I know is a delicious recipe.

This is right up my alley! These no only look delicious, but they are so healthy and I know my kids would devour these. To me, they resemble the filling of a won ton with out the won ton nor the deep frying. Can't wait to make these!

Oh, how yummy looking!! Do you have a fushion pan? I bought one a few months ago, but haven't tried it yet. I'm going to steam salmon with an infusion of cinnamon water. Unfortunatly, there's not many other things I can think of to make with it!

that chicken looks so very very good! I did not realize it was chopped at first! wow, I bet all those flavors incorporating into the chicken really made it delicious!thanks for sharing a wonderful recipe!

I've neither had nor heard of rissoles, but they sound delicious. Sword fight would definitely have been a part of a skewered meal when my three boys were small. (And probably even now that they've grown!) Thanks for the recipe and the smile.

Mary, your risoles recipe sounds fantastic! And yes, water chestnut is sweeter & yummier than daikon radish. You can also use this recipe to make fried stuffed tofu or eggplant. I'm sure it taste as good. Hope you're having a wonderful day.Cheers, kristyp/s oh your kids & grandchildren are coming over today! So, enjoy your day.

These sound fabulous. I am definitely going to be trying them...and the gingered noodle salad. (However, in order to do this, I have to get the kitchen away from my daughter, who loves to cook and plans to go to culinary school. She has recently taken over all the kitchen duties in our home, as cooking is her passion.) I guess I'll have to beg her to allow me to use "her" kitchen.

Jenny, water chestnuts and scallions are an integral part of the recipe. I can't imagine why you bothered if you weren't going to use them. I do not post comments that are spam or advertisements. I viewed yours as an advertisement.

Wow. With a few changes, this recipe is one of my favorites. Instead of scallions, I used sugar snap peas. Added a great crunch and structure to the patties. (Besides, the gingered noodle salad also calls for scallions, which I did use there.) No need for the skewers. As I formed the patties, I placed them on waxed paper and coated them in panko. I ran my scissors between the patties to make wax paper squares. That made it super easy to handle the patties to the pan. I found the non-stick skillet didn't brown these properly. Instead, I sprayed an iron skillet with cooking oil and then added a tiny bit of hot water to the pan as it got too dry. No sticking and they weren't too oily.

I made this tonight for guests. I pretty much followed the recipe and would add more jalapeno next time. Served with the noodles, a very nice combo. I think the patties will also make a good wrap or work well on a salad for lunch tomorrow.

We LOVED this recipe. It was quick, easy but, most importantly, delicious. We did not have cilantro on hand, so did not use. We eliminated the skewers as we did not feel the need. Followed the directions otherwise cooking patties individually in a large skillet. Served them with the Noodle Salad w/ Mango and Gingered Cucumber and some sugar snap peas. Yum.

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